\My quote is on page 157. It is, “His savior. Sweat was swimming out of his hands.

” This is an
example of personification because human characteristics are given to an object. In this quote,
sweat is given the action of swimming. Sweat can not swim. In The Book Thief, Liesel’s family
hides a Jew in their basement. Prior to this, that Jew has to travel through Germany to arrive at
Liesel’s house. This quote was used by Markus Zusak to show how nervous Max was. This
quote affects the book as a whole, because it allows the readers to understand what Nazi
Germany was like. If Zusak didn’t use this quote to describe Max, then the reader wouldn’t know
how nervous and scared he was. This would cause the readers to underestimate the risk that
Liesel and her family were taking to shelter a Jew.

My quote is on page 126. It is, “Perhaps it was her first realization that criminality spoke best for
itself.” This is an example of personification because human characteristics are given to an
object. In this quote, criminality is given the action of speaking. In real life, criminality can’t
actually speak. This quote affects the plot in The Book Thief. Throughout the book, Liesel
repeatedly visits a mansion to steal books from its library. If Liesel was not a criminal, then she
would never have learned how to read. Because one of the main ideas in the book is Liesel
stealing to learn to read, without this quote, the outcome of the book would be very different.

My quote is on page 433. It is, “Behind him, a building groaned and tripped.” This is an example
of personification because human characteristics are given to an object. In this quote, a building
is given the the characteristic of being able to groan and trip. Markus Zusak used this quote to
show the harsh conditions that Hans had to go through in his LSE unit. This quote affects the
book because the readers can understand how lucky Hans was to survive in the LSE. When
Hans was sent away, Liesel and Rosa worried that Hans would not return. This quote is in the
book because it causes the readers to worry also which adds to the tone of the book.

My quote is on page 28. It is, “A gang of tears trudged from her eyes as she held on and
refused to go inside.” This is an example of personification because human characteristics are
given to an object. In this quote, tears are given the action of trudging. In real life, tears can not
trudge. This quote also affects the book. It shows how much Liesel loved her mom and brother.
In this quote, Liesel is crying and won’t go inside. This allows the readers to infer that Liesel is
still distressed after her brother died, and she doesn’t want to lose her other family member.
Because Liesel becomes haunted by the loss of her family, she is able to bond with Hans which
affects the whole book.